Banned books are books or other printed works such as essays or plays which have been prohibited by law, or to which free access has been restricted by other means. The practice of banning books is a form of censorship, from political, legal, religious, moral, or commercial motives. This article lists notable banned books and works, giving a brief context for the reason that each book was prohibited. Banned books include fictional works such as novels, poems and plays and non-fiction works such as biographies and dictionaries. Since there have been a large number of banned books, some publishers have sought out to publish these books. The best-known examples are the Parisian Obelisk Press, which published Henry Miller's sexually frank novel Tropic of Cancer, and Olympia Press, which published William Burroughs's Naked Lunch. Both of these, the work of father Jack Kahane and son Maurice Girodias, specialized in English-language books which were prohibited, at the time, in Great Britain and the United States. , also located in Paris, specialized in books prohibited in Spain during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. Russian literature prohibited during the Soviet period was published outside of Russia. Many countries throughout the world have their own methods of restricting access to books, although the prohibitions vary strikingly from one country to another. Despite the opposition from the American Library Association (ALA), books continue to be banned by school and public libraries across the United States. This is usually the result of complaints from parents, who find particular books not appropriate for their children (e.g., books with graphical depictions of child sex, like Gender Queer: A Memoir). In many libraries, including the British Library and the Library of Congress, erotic books are housed in separate collections in restricted access reading rooms. In some libraries, a special application may be needed to read certain books. Libraries sometimes avoid purchasing controversial books, and the personal opinions of librarians have at times affected book selection. The following list of countries includes historical states that no longer exist.

Bible

The distribution, promotion and translation of the Bible have been prohibited or impeded throughout its history. Violators of Bible prohibitions have at times been punished by imprisonment, forced labor, banishment and execution, as well as the destruction or confiscation of the Bibles. Restrictions of the distribution and promotion of the Bible are ongoing in various jurisdictions.

Albania

Argentina

Australia

Austria

Bangladesh

Belgium

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Brazil

Canada

Chile

China

Czechoslovakia

Egypt

El Salvador

Eritrea

France

Germany

Weimar Republic (1918–1933)

Nazi Germany (1933–1945)

East Germany (1949–1990)

West Germany (1949–1990) and Germany (1990–present)

In today's Germany, a book is considered banned if it has been confiscated by a court. The distribution of a confiscated book is prohibited, but private possession and reading is still legal (with the exception of child and youth pornographic material, where possession is already a criminal offense). The official list of confiscated books was published by the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons (Bundeszentrale für Kinder- und Jugendmedienschutz) in the magazine "BzKJaktuell" until the beginning of 2022. The list of confiscated books should not be confused with books on the "List of Media Harmful to Young Persons" (colloquially known as the "Index"). Books indexed by the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons are subject to strict restrictions and may only be offered and sold to adults.

List of books confiscated for violating Criminal Code 86, 86a, 130 or 130a

This list collectively lists media that violate one of the following paragraphs:

Greece

Guatemala

India

Indonesia

Iran

Ireland

Italy

Japan

Kenya

Kuwait

Lebanon

Liberia

Malaysia

Morocco

Mauritius

Nepal

Netherlands

New Zealand

Nigeria

Norway

Pakistan

Papal States

Papua New Guinea

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Qatar

Roman Empire

Russia

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Singapore

South Africa

South Korea

Spain

Sri Lanka

Tanzania

Taiwan

Thailand

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

United States

Uzbekistan

Vietnam

Yugoslavia